>As my understanding goes, which may well be fallible, when a new
>production starts it is the producer and the production designer who
>get together to decide the feel and visual look of the show.

Your understanding is correct.
>John
>Iacovelli (spelling?) was production designer on B5. Will he occupy
>the same role on Crusade or will a new perspective be brought to the
>table to freshen things up and provide something a little different?

No, John is still with the show, though we've brought in some new designers and
graphics people to work alongside the folks we've had from day one, so there's
definitely new blood (and the old blood ain't bad either).

I've stood on, and we've shot in, the set for the Excalibur, and I think it may
be the coolest starship *I've* ever seen on film for TV, frankly.

>Also, how do things proceed from an outline\idea to fleshing out a
>fully fledged production? How do the producer and production designer
>pull everything together? How will the use of more virtual sets
>influence what you guys are doing now?

It goes from the scripts. For instance, the first script written will be the
third one produced, to allow more time for production design on some of the
elaborate set and other requirements. And yes, we'll be doing more with
virtual sets.

>Will you be using a script editor in Crusade, similar to the way Larry
>De Tillio was used in seasons 1 and 2 of B5 before you started writing
>all the episodes yourself?

Even when Larry was on B5, I ended up rewriting the script to one degree or
another, not to correct anything Larry did, 'cause he's one of the best, only
to bring it into line with my view of B5, which is eccentric and subjective at
best. So at this point, there's no need to bring on a story editor, though
I'll be keeping my eye out for possibilities to serve in that capacity on later
seasons, once I find out who can write for this show and who can't.

jms

From: (jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com

>This is my point, how did you and the production designers work on
>this. Did you give them an outline of a few points and discuss the
>feel \ look or did you give them a broad brush to be creative and come
>up with something seriously cool?

It's hard to define...it's a long process of give and take. John Copeland and
I both knew we wanted something different, a new kind of look, and we went back
and forth discussing it between us until we were ready to talk to the
production design folk. We told them in general terms what we were looking
for...then they went away, and came back with several preliminary designs. We
sat and talked about them, made revisions and suggestions, threw one thing out,
kept the other thing, got another version done, and on and on until there was
something that we felt worked. Ditto for the CGI version (for which there is a
very early version on the B5 fan club site). The final look of the CGI is much
sleeker and more refined.

>What about costume design and alien design. Again is this a case of
>you setting a rough overall position on what you want or is it more
>hands on?

Same process. I discuss with Optic Nerve and the costume folks what I have in
mind. They go away and come up with drawings. They submit those drawings;
John and I go over them, pick the ones we like, suggest modifications, toss out
what we don't like, and the process of refinement continues.

jms

From: (jmsatb5@aol.com)
B5 Official Fan Club at:
http://www.thestation.com